Sunday, 29 December 2013

I’m not sure
how best to describe the year as it contained both high moments and towards the
end of the year some very worrying developments. The year started with some
very fine Pike being recorded and saw the creation of a new habitat area on the
Kirkstead burn at the foot of the loch. When mature this will be a haven for
wildlife and a producer of much food for our young fish. Many sheltered areas
will also be created lessening the risk of attack on our young fish by ever
increasing numbers of predatory birds!

Our sister
project on the Riskinhope burn however has turned out to be much less successful
with trees still to be planted. The number of trees able to be planted will be
miniscule compared to what we expected and the project is without doubt a damp squib!
Our expose on fishing guides brought about a much needed change in the scene
and is currently with an MSP but progress is likely to be slow with all
energies being directed to the independence referendum. Our new advisory site
on selecting a guide or instructor will be published early in the New Year
unfortunately being delayed by other more important problems on the lochs.

The Brown
Trout season turned out to be a bit of a disappointment with low loch levels
and high water temperatures dominating the summer months. The year also saw the
appointment of a new loch keeper in Aaron and a new bailiff in Mr Xxxxx both
giving great service on behalf of the club. Unfortunately their initial tenure
of the posts saw them thrown in at the deep end when the illegal industrial
taking of fish by Eastern Europeans was discovered.

Numerous suspects were confronted with identifiable
ones being exposed and banned from fishing. Some scary characters were
confronted which led to us passing a ruling that single handed operation was
not a good safe way of operating consequently all such patrols are comprised at
the minimum of two people.

The year saw
us confronted by some bizarre and horrific events such as gutting a Pike whilst still alive
and wholesale harvesting of our precious fish stocks. We continued to be
plagued by these people whilst noting two distinct groups of these people. Those
who took the time to understand our culture and rules setting a fine standard
of angling and are most welcome and those who came and did as they pleased and are most certainly not welcome! Obviously the second
grouping is the one that is causing us great concern, their behaviour posing a
threat to our future as a club like no other event before!

We have not
yet found a way to completely combat these thieves and now it looks like we
could be hampered further by racial equality regulations! Our future as a club
is on the line if we are forced to stand by and watch our fishery being
pillaged and being powerless to act!

Our policy on taking fish. If you have a valid permit you may
take up to 4 Trout or 4 Perch. You
may not under any circumstances remove any Pike or Eels from the lochs!

Also appended to this was the following (in red) translated
into Polish by one of our Polish members translations into other languages are being carried out. No Pike or Eels to be taken! Unfortunately
this is an ongoing matter as those who have no wish to fit in with our culture
will continue to operate in this disgraceful manner! Our access to the eastern
banks of the loch is now on the line following incidents involving errant anglers. Our riparian owners are at the end of their tethers as are we! These selfish individuals blunder on to land and cause us no end of
problems by their unthinking behaviour and we will do all that we can to end this
despicable behaviour! Restrictions imposed on decent law abiding anglers are unacceptable especially when the offending actions are carried out by others unrelated to the club!

This unfortunately is the position at the year end
and I have no doubt this will continue to plague us in the coming year! On the
financial front we have continued to keep our heads above the water in spite of
the mismanagement of the economy by the Tories and the puppets! Visitor numbers
are down and we had to consider if we could continue to provide the services of
a loch keeper but with some juggling we have managed to do so.

We lost the services of our treasurer John Wright
due to health issues which was a blow but then Elliot Fraser stood up and took
on the position which is enabling us to carry on! We continue to move
forward with managing the fishing in our lochs due in the most part to the
hardworking members who go out of their way to help us out.

To those members we extend our sincere
thanks!

The wider world in my
view!

No longer “Great”
Britain!

Everybody all
over the world can see it; in fact the only people who cannot are the posh boys
and the puppets! We are now just plain old Britain an insignificant little
island according to the Chinese many others! I don’t mean it in a military
sense although even in this respect we are nothing, having many weapons but not
the personnel to use them effectively!

No in
economic and social terms we are less than nothing! We are actively allowing
the re establishing of the rich poor divide of Victorian times and creating jobs
that pay so little that the recipients cannot flourish being forced to go cap
in hand to food banks in order to eat! We actively allow the posh boys and puppets to
target the very poorest in society the elderly, the weak and disabled! We avert
our eyes on seeing the injustices meted out to these people. We are beleaguered
by the incompetence of our government suffering taxes on pies, suffering
on hearing of costs associated with projects such as universal credit treble and
pushing back implementation dates by 3 years prolonging the public agony and
emptying the public purse!

We see
billions of pounds given away to the rich by means of incompetence such as the selloff
of Royal Mail. Never in my living memory has the country been in such a poor
state even in the 3 day week things were better! With these Con – Dem fools in government there is no forward planning
merely reactionary incompetence, whilst ensuring the rich get richer and the
working classes tramped further into the gutter!

This unelected
government could possibly tip us over the edge – our respected policies of
looking after the poor and needy are now gone, our enviable NHS now fragmented
and in disarray, our previous aims of fairness and equity now abandoned, our standing on the
world stage now gone, our word once respected now not worth the paper it is
written on, our great institutions once the bastion of proper honourable
practice now corrupt and destitute, our manufacturing industries now gone being
replaced by a nation of shopkeepers, our once burgeoning High streets now
desolate I could go on and on but the picture should be clear!

The next two
years will be crucial, certainly if the inept Con – Dems carry on as before
then without a doubt we will be sunk good and proper! What we need is a
thinking government who will re nationalise all essential public services and
cap the excessive antics of fervent capitalists. A government who will
implement fairness and equity if necessary by seizing the assets of the super
rich, many of whom acquired that wealth by questionable means in the first place!
A government that will dispense with squandering of public money by abolishing
hangers on such as the royal family!

A government
that will end obsolete cold war projects such as Trident whilst maintaining a strong
offensive and defensive capability, a government that will reform the NHS back to the
way it was envisaged free for all at delivery and minus the money grabbing private companies that seize on the profitable aspects and leave the non profitable activities to the NHS! Yes we desperately need radical
change, the Con – Dems being comprised of jesters, fools and puppets cannot rise
to this challenge!

There are
some strong forces for change in the Labour party but they need to overthrow
weak Milliband and come to the fore and offer the people of this country a real alternative to greed inspired rampant capitalism! I do not see this happening in my lifetime,
there is a huge amount of wealth in this country, more than enough for everyone
to live without the threat of poverty and deprivation, it just needs to be
redistributed fairly! The reality however is that we will have to endure
another couple of years of pathetic bungling under Lord Snooty and Puppet Clegg, plenty of time for them to take the great out of Great Britain, god
help us!

Sunday, 22 December 2013

Over the
last week I have received a lot of feedback on the article published last week.
As I said the issue is often talked of in hushed undertones in fear of being
branded racists! The majority, in fact all but one of the comments were in
support for our stance of targeting wrongdoers irrespective of nationality! Further
commenter’s stated that we could not adopt a fearful stance when our fishery is
being plundered in a hitherto unseen fashion, such a stance would be completely
irresponsible!

The single
comment castigating us for being racist in respect of singling out anglers from other countries quite frankly is a joke! For the reasons mentioned last week we are
anything but! We have no spotlight on race, we do however target wrongdoers
with no reference to race whatsoever! We are custodians of the fishing and part
of our remit is to ensure that stocks of fish are maintained and issues of
theft on an industrial scale are dealt with swiftly and firmly!

The meeting
asked for by the police has not taken place since we have not heard back from
them as to a suitable date for the meeting. We look forward to such a meeting
because it is important for us to be acting fully within the law. I have done a
bit of research on racial equality law and can see no instance where we have
broken the law! There are areas where individual interpretation may lead to us
being pushed closer to the boundaries but this is personal interpretation!

The reason
we chose a shop in Galashiels was that it is for all intents and
purposes the hub where these "anglers" tend to meet in the Borders! This is after all
where information regarding fish theft was first obtained and the owners were
more than happy to display our flyer, in fact also deploring the actions of
such “anglers”! Of course if we wanted to be 100% politically correct we should
have issued such flyers to all angling clubs, libraries, and our recommended tackle
dealers.

But the question
begging an answer is why! Why on earth would we waste time, money and effort
carrying out this work when we know with great certainty that these groups are
not involved! We simply target corrective measures towards the people we know
are carrying out these illegal activities! No one I have spoken with has an
issue with this mode of action in all cases it is seen as the right thing to
do! I have no doubt happenings on this front will remain subdued until the
better weather comes then it will again be incumbent on us to pick up the
cudgel and take the measures necessary to protect our fishery!

Help for those in panic!

If at this
late stage you still do not have all your Christmas presents there is still
hope for you! Our recommended dealers Turnbull’s in Bank Street Galashiels and
Fishers in Penicuick have everything you need if you are looking for a pressie
for an angler, shooter or countryman. Both have a huge selection of items sure
to please and combine this with recession beating prices, you are sorted! Very
few fishing items are left at ALDI Galashiels (noted last night) so you will
need to be quick if you want to snap up a bargain!

Memberships

Applications
are now being taken for renewals and new members. The rates are £35.00 for
existing members and £55.00 for new members. Those desiring membership should
send a cheque for the appropriate amount to our membership secretary Robert
Simpson 105 Halliburton place Galashiels. Those wishing to join for the first
time should be aware that places are limited, so early application is advised.

Honourable Hooded Crow?

Sitting quietly
yesterday during one of the short respites from extensive downpours I heard the
frantic clucking of a Blackbird in distress. Yes the terrified creature was
being pursued by what I imagine is its number one predator, a Sparrow hawk! Had
it been just the two, the Blackbird would probably have been caught, but just
as the pair came into view with the Sparrow Hawk about to strike, a hooded crow
crashed into the back of the Sparrow hawk pushing him off course, allowing the
Blackbird to escape into the dense fir trees to sing another day! A hooded crow
helping a fellow blackbird or just a hooded crow doing what it does, I’m not
sure!

Music for Christmas!

As is now
traditional we offer links to a couple of pieces of music to lift the spirits
or calm the nerves depending on your circumstances. The first is Schubert’s Ave
Maria a much loved vocal piece that becalms a troubled spirit. Brandy in hand
and feet up let the music ease you to a state of complete relaxation,
absolutely peerless!

Naturally I
refer to that pompous fool Lord Snooty! I was temporarily struck dumb when he
announced that the military campaign in Afghanistan had been a resounding
success! The reality is that it has been unequivocally an unmitigated disaster!
The objects of the campaign were to disrupt Al Qaeda, rout the Taliban and end
the cultivation of raw Opium!

Al Qaeda is still
there under the surface maybe dispersed but still there functioning ready to
reform. The Taliban have joined with the current government and are busy
reformulating policies whereby women once again will be relegated to the status
of third class citizen’s, offences by them being dealt with by sanctions such
as whipping and stoning! Opium production has doubled since intervention began
sending out the drug of misery all over the world! No one in their right mind
would call this a success with nearly 500 British soldiers lost and god knows
how many innocent civilians! Millions if not billions pumped into this futile
campaign, after all if the mighty Red Army could not sort them out what hope
was there for a small provincial army that was the British!

Yes the
soldiers did a good job and are worthy of our admiration carrying out the
wishes of their political masters. The question that requires an answer however
is when Snooty and his like will realise we cannot go barging into the affairs
of others! We have never improved anything by past intervention simply made
things worse coupled with squandering the public purse! Iraq Libya and Afghanistan
each and everyone a disaster with increased terrorism being the norm!

I’ve said it
repeatedly and will say it again Lord Snooty is like his subordinate Puppet
Clegg a barefaced liar, a manipulator of truth! It therefore follows we have to
ask is this man fit to be called our Prime Minister? The evidence would tend to suggest not!

An equation that does not compute!

Proudly
proclaimed by Snooty et al that the economy is now in recovery but is it
really! An emergency debate this week on food banks gave a revealing insight
into the machinations of the Con – Dems. Ten years ago there were food banks
that you could count on one handit is
estimated there are now upwards of now 800 with the Trussel Trust alone opening
a new one every week!

A rather
troubling fact was that up to 40% of food bank users were in work and almost
20% asked for food that did not need to be cooked as they were in fuel poverty.
The expected way that the economy should work is that increased growth leads to
increased prosperity for all and the need for food banks declines, the actual
outcome however is that the “recovery” is leading to increased poverty
demonstrated by the shocking rise in the use of these charities!

Just another
example of the deception constructed by the clueless posh boys aided and abetted
by the backsliding puppets! You may like
Dickens as an author but it’s just gone completely pear shaped, prepare to grub
around like the peasants in those days, courtesy of the Con - Dems! Nothing short
of a national disgrace brought about by Snooty and his puppet Clegg!

Sunday, 15 December 2013

The year end
is now in sight but the problems facing the club loom ever larger! The police
were in touch this week after one of their race relations officers came upon
our warning letter in a local shop, warning anglers to adhere
to our club rules and refrain from stealing fish from our lochs. It seems our
letter comes close to breaking racial equality legislation.

The content
of the letter was a cut and paste from our news pages along with warnings in
the various languages formulated by the Angling Trust. I don’t see anything in
the letter that would be construed as being racially offensive and everything
contained in the letter is true! It’s interesting that the letter did not stir
any offended people to write and complain!

Of all the
incidents over the last year around 80% involved people from other countries! It therefore
follows that the direction of our remedial actions would be directed towards
this group of “anglers”! Yes the taking of fish many times over the club
imposed limits, the illegal fishing by not purchasing a permit, the illegal
fishing by using fixed lines, the illegal fishing by using traps and the
indiscriminate taking of industrial numbers of fish of any size under the cover
of darkness. Is it any wonder we are paying special attention to this group of
people!

I’ve said it
often in the past we do not want to be seen as being racist because we are not,
fairness and equity is and always has been our guiding principle! Make no
mistake however if you are a marauding Ned we will weed you out whatever your
nationality!

We have
currently in membership two anglers from other countries and two more are joining in the next
couple of weeks and we look forward to counting them amongst our number. The reason for that is simple they are good
people with right thinking values that are prepared to fit in with our angling
culture in this country! Our members from other countries are embarrassed by the actions
of the offending anglers mentioned above as we are; even in other countries the actions above
are largely illegal!

We are keen
to meet with the police to see where we are coming close to falling foul of
equality laws. It would be a poor situation indeed if we could not voice our
concerns about people flagrantly breaking our laws and the laws of the land!
Race bashing is not in our vocabulary however exposing the Muppets and fools
who see fit to do as they like and ignore our rules and laws of the land most
definitely is in our vocabulary! Quite
frankly race does not enter the equation wrongdoing is punishable irrespective
of the race of the person carrying it out!

I have never
thought much about racial issues in the past it was always something that took
place in inner cities. If the miscreants had been Scots then we would target
them, we do not see race when pursuing wrongdoers, we see people doing wrong and
apprehend them!

Looking at
the national press there is much talk of education rather than punitive action
which we would agree is a sensible policy, this is always our first course of
action. There are some miscreants however who are completely resistant to such
a process! I could list many examples gathered over the years but here is one –
a man from another country was noted fishing and as we do with all anglers we approach and
make conversation.

Whilst we
were talking we noticed a wriggling bag, on asking him to open it therein was
an Eel! We asked him to explain this and he said it was for his tea that
evening. At that time we had a Polish loch keeper Piotr who many of you will
remember and as well as me explaining the error of his ways that under club
rules and now the law of the land all Eels are strictly protected! He agreed to
return the Eel to the loch.

Piotr
explained the above to him in Polish so there was no doubt of comprehension!
The next again week we noted his car at the Glen Cafe and sneaked up and
watched him through binoculars, after around 20 minutes he struck into a fish which
was an Eel. He unhooked it and proceeded to look all around him and thinking
the coast was clear promptly pulled out a green bucket from under a bush and
dropped the Eel inside. At this point Piotr and I moved in and confronted him. When
we pulled out the bucket there were 7 Eels wriggling around in a few inches of
water!

We asked why these Eels were in a bucket and
he said they were for an end of session photo! We gave him the opportunity to
photograph the Eels before we released them back into the loch but it turns out
he did not have a camera! He said a friend of his in Moffat was on standby to
come and take a photo, now this scenario whilst possible is highly improbable! There
was another incident involving this fellow a month later, following this he was
barred from fishing at the lochs, but even after this he returned once again
and was sent packing! No amount of education was going to rid this fellow of
his ways sanction was the only option!

We will see
how it goes this week and if we find that our hands are tied regarding policing
our lochs we will have to cast our nets further to enlist the services of a
politician who can see the unfairness of the situation we may find ourselves
in! We will comply with any reasonable request because that is what we do; we
do not operate out with the law! Much muttering takes place in tackle shops, in
clubs and on the banks about the way some migrants fish, in fear of rocking the
boat the majority remain silent, it is now time for the voices of these people
to be heard! Unlike the title of this treatise the meek shall never inherit the
earth! The bottom line is we welcome all
migrant anglers but if you break our rules and you can expect to be penalised in the same fashion as indigenous anglers,
race does not enter into it at all!

Photo 02 - the type of rubbish we have to pick up.

Decision reached!

The article
mentioned a few weeks back whereby the owner of a black Audi was found to be
fishing without a permit and was guilty of leaving rubbish behind was this week
barred from fishing for a period of one calendar year. If I want to fish a new
venue I make the appropriate enquiries and if granted permission follow exactly
what has been relayed to me! The chap mentioned did not do this and was barred
from fishing for his actions and has nothing to do with his ethnic origin!

The fellow
quite rightly made enquiries prior to the date he wanted to fish and he was
told to report to the boathouse and pick up his permits and copy of the club
rules. For reasons unknown he proceeded directly to Bowerhope fished without
the required permission and left rubbish behind! It’s quite simple you flout
our rules you can expect to be penalised! We needed to show the tenants at
Bowerhope that we mean business we as well as them deplore this desecration of
our countryside and this was an important factor in reaching our decision!

Membership renewals

Existing members should send a cheque for £35.00 payable to St Mary's Angling Club to our membership secretary Robert Simpson 105 Halliburton Place Galashiels. New members should send a cheque for £55.00 to the above address.

The wider world in my view!

What kind of a society we are!

It’s a
personal hobby horse of mine, a barometer of society, the usage of foodbanks! Yes
harking back to the days of alms handouts we seem prepared to accept this
Dickensian practice once again. The Trussel trust a foodbank charity has seen
the biggest ever rise in usage a staggering 170% up on last year having seen
over 350,000 individuals so far on the figures returned and thats only one
charity there are loads more.

Yes as we
prepare for the excesses of Christmas spare a thought for those less fortunate.
Oh yes the stereotypical view is that the users are benefit seekers who have
spent their allowances on fags and beer and no doubt there are some of that
type there. However recent research has shown people like your neighbour are
increasingly having to apply for these handouts!

People like
the young couple with a wee one down the road trying to buy their first house
both employed in dead end part time jobs at the only large employer in town the
local supermarket. Yes they do not earn enough to eke out a basic living! Or
the old bloke down the road who has paid into the system all his life and in
poor health in fuel poverty is forced to go cap in hand to stop the pain of an
empty stomach!

It doesn’t
really say a lot for the society we currently live in! The greed culture
initiated by Butcher Thatcher has returned under the Con-Dems. The “ignore the
plight of others” culture is back with a vengeance! How else could a bunch of
pompous posh boys preside over mass poverty! They don’t care and are probably
too far removed from working class problems to realise the defective society
they are creating! Decent hardworking people plunged into poverty by the
Con-Dems, it must surely make everyone
of us think just what a poor society we have become!

More disasters!

Yes it’s
been a week like every other one for the last 3 years characterised by
bungling, wasting taxpayers’ money and claims that border on untruths! Ian
Duncan Smith now elevated to the status of super bungler as the “universal
credit” system now sees its completion date further deferred until 2020 a
further 2 years beyond the last prediction and there have been many! A further
40 million pounds lost this week strangely not heralded on News at Ten but
hushed up and filed in the huge Con – Dem out tray marked bungled projects!

Michal
Gove’s pet project of free schools whereby parents may form a school out with
the control of the local authority seems to be falling apart at the seams! Yet
another school closed because the inspecting body Ofsted felt that children
leaving this school after seven years would not be able to read or write to the
expected standard! The latest Ofsted report stated that there was chaos in the
school and that the training needs would be impossible to be attained with
regards to teachers in the school. Of the whole free school programme Ofsted said
the scheme was rolled out with speed as the main aim quality of teaching was
further down the list!

These
schools who are free to employ unqualified teachers which has got to be the
most ridiculous idea ever! I said it in our series on fishing guides and it
applies to all walks of life unregulated occupations lead only to chicanery and
Wild West scenarios! When will these Con – Dems learn!

Well played Lord Snooty!

It’s a
little disheartening to hear of increasing numbers of commentators now coming
to the view that this perceived recovery is one that is as fragile as an ice
sculpture! Yes they increasingly see that the recovery such as it is has been
constructed on consumer spending and the housing market is one which will not
last. There is no discernible growth in industry which is usually the basis for
a sound recovery!

Snooty has
played a masterstroke the current “recovery” has been predicted to last until
mid 2015 whereupon it will likely collapse in a catastrophic fashion! His thinking
is of course, minute growth up until then will say to the electorate that the
Con – Dems have turned the country around for “hardworking families”! The reverse
is true we the general public own nothing Snooty has privatised all that we did
own and the economy is doing much worse than the Tory press would have us
believe! More and more are pushed towards Wonga and other loan sharks, towards
the humiliation of having to go cap in hand to the ever expanding number of
food banks! We are here dealing with clueless out of touch hobby politicians
with excellent spin doctors capable of twisting reality! So when the time comes
to place your vote do a bit of research and don’t be fooled by the Con – Dem publicity
machine!

Sunday, 8 December 2013

It’s
probably a difficult concept to grasp when the difference in weight is huge and
it would not be likely the 5 pounder would give anything like the fight of a 30
pounder. With reference to “plastic” Pike fisheries where soft flabby 30s are
common enough I make the comparison between a muscular wild 5 pounder and a
“plastic” 30!

Yes
yesterday I connected with a wild 5 pound Pike and indeed it gave a good
account of itself pulling line and putting every ounce of energy into defeating
the rod, reel and ultimately me. Of course catastrophic tackle failure aside
there was only going to be one outcome and so it was! A lithe 5 pounds Pike
probably a male as there was no abdominal distension whatsoever. I took a
couple of scales and looking at them this morning I could see that this
particular Pike was around eight years of age writing in a tablet of stone that
it was indeed a male Pike!

I was
delighted on his capture that my choice of swim was good and that the bait was
good enough to tempt him into taking it! So is there a difference between the
“plastic” variety and the wild one! Absolutely there is! “Plastic” Pike are
stocked to such a density that it matters not where the bait is placed nor does
it matter which bait is selected, these normally important considerations are
nullified completely in the plastic setting!

And what of
the ensuing fight? When you have bait fish stocked to the max the number of
casualties is high allowing these engineered creatures to simply scoop up a
high protein lunch whenever they want, therefore muscle density is not the
equal of the wild variety who have to expend energy and stalk their intended
prey! Similarly their ability to fight is compromised with initial vigour in
trying to evade capture but then rapid capitulation as the low level of stamina
is eroded and it comes to the net like a sandbag!

Yes our band
of wild fish hunters understand this only too well and recent conversations
reinforce the fact that wild is best! I could think of nothing more mind
numbing than landing one “plastic” Pike after another without respite! It would
be a joyless venture and one I would most definitely refrain from mentioning in
the public arena! It boils down to two types of angler the first the wild Pike
hunter who is content to take what comes including blanks but at the same time
planning his next move, trying to think ahead and outwit his formidable
adversary in terms of swim selected, bait chosen and presentation of that bait!
The alternative “plastic” version is arrive at any swim you like, throw out any
bait you like presented in the manner of a sack of potatoes and simply reel
them in one after another with photos galore to plaster on your wall! I wonder
if you can really call “plastic” catching fishing, seems to me to be very much
like pheasant shooting where the birds connect humans with food and run towards
the guns! Surely these anglers know they are angling in the second division,
seeking the easy option by crossing the palm of the fishery owner many times
over with the aim of acquiring the false, worthless kudos that catching a
“plastic” Pike brings!

No for me,
this is not fishing, it is simply an aberration beneath real anglers suitable
only for dissenters, the inept or desperate must catch a 30 brigade, and in my book a wild
5 pounder beats a sandbag “plastic” 30 any day! Which group do you fall into?

Photo 02 - A trusty tool the Fladen Warbird!

Long term test, Fladen Warbird fixed
spool reel!

I bought two
of these 70 size reels around two years ago and am pleased to report that under
a variety of conditions they have performed admirably. Yes there was an initial
setback when the free spool mechanism gave up the ghost only days after I had
purchased them. The reel however was replaced without question one of the
benefits of buying from a bona fide tackle dealer!

Being a 70
sized reel the spool capacity is copious giving loads of line nicely laid down line
avoiding annoying tangles. They are extremely robust which is great for me as I
give my tackle a really hard time suffering all manner of maladies! Even the
finish has largely remained intact which these days is amazing! I do however
grease or oil moving parts once a year just before back end Piking begins in
earnest.

Performance
wise I cannot fault them being smooth in action and the big side handle asking
for heavy cranking. The clutch is smooth and progressive from almost free spool
to total lock! The bait runner system allows complete free spooling to heavy
drag depending on what you are fishing for.

The model
shown has probably now been superseded by a new model but I hope they have kept
the fundamentals the same! It is a lump but it is after all a 70 sized reel
giving a nice feeling of a solid well built product! I used to use nothing but
Shimano but their quality of late has been suspect whilst still demanding a
hefty price! Supposed high end products like the Fox reels I wouldn’t touch
with a barge pole, just read some of the reviews online. If you really want
high end go for Daiwa but be prepared for shelling out large sums of money,
high class precision engineering does not come cheap!

For me these
have been excellent reels coping with everything I could throw at them, no
fancy high end price or claims to be the best, simply a reel that does what it
says on the tin!

Membership renewals!

Members are
invited to apply for renewal by sending a cheque payable to St Marys Angling
Club to our membership secretary Robert Simpson 105 Halliburton Place
Galashiels. Non members who have been accepted for membership should send a
cheque for £55.00 to the above address. Please remember that Robert is away for
another week and allow a reasonable length of time before contacting us about
non receipt of ticket!

Fishing Thursday at ALDI!

I won’t list
all the items but click the link below to see their fishing offers. There looks
to be some really decent stuff on offer especially the clothing so nip down and
see what takes your fancy! Within the offers is bound to be a super Christmas
pressie for an angler! Mark my words this is a store that’s going places!

Photo 03 - The remnants of a mouse's meal wonder why they don't eat the fruit?

The wider world in my view!

Where we really are!

Yes minister
without a clue posh boy Gideon Osborne let rip this week of how well he has
done in reducing the defecit and preparing the ground for recovery! With
further austerity planned the future for the working classes look grim indeed!
I listened to a programme on the BBC World Service recently which was very
revealing indeed, the public debt to gross domestic product ratio was 50%
following the rescue of the banks up by around 10% on the previous ten years.
All the figures mentioned are historically and internationally low and not seen
as a problem by financial analysts.

The Con –
Dems set out to cut this debt even after being told the situation at that time
was not problematic and guess what, they have failed miserably! Yes their own
creation the Office of Budget Responsibility is currently predicting that in
2015 the debt ratio will be 85% of GDP! Borrowing under the incompetent Con –
Dems is now predicted to rise in 2015 to 539 billion pounds up two hundred and
seventeen billion pounds from the current figure! Yes its clear they have no
idea of what they are doing, its fumbling in the dark, its gross incompetence
and downright ineptitude, one thing it’s not is good responsible government!

Setting new standards!

It’s not
often I am able to write something positive about the bums that call themselves
our government! This article is no different! Unbelievably we in this country
now have for the first time ever more people who are classified as working poor
as opposed to the workless poor! The astute will immediately link this to the
million new jobs created in the private sector much heralded by Lord Snooty et
al!

Yes Snooty’s
pals have halved jobs created low paying, part time dead end jobs to allow the Con
– Dems to spout their claim of getting people back to work by bumping up those
in employment even though the majority are worthless jobs! People earning wages
insufficient to allow them to live above the poverty line, if ever there was a
damning indictment on our society then this is it! People turfed out of decent
jobs brought about by the Con – Dem cuts invoked by these fools!

Other
countries can see what a lame duck this country has become, even the Chinese
stating that this country is insignificant, suitable only for tourism and
students! We manufacture nothing Butcher Thatcher saw to that, as I’ve said
before many times a nation of shopkeepers selling foreign goods! To see
ourselves as others see us would be a virtue indeed (middle England take note!).
Of course this government was not elected but concocted by a Tory windbag and a
power hungry puppet and boy are we now reaping the rewards of this set up!

A group of
clueless people, filling up their days living off their inheritances, with no
idea of the hardships being faced by working people. Out of touch fools running
on instinct making the rich richer and pounding us into the ground! I have seen
a few governments in my time but this one is the most naive, inept and pompous
group of fools I have ever had the misfortune to endure! However all is not
lost for soon we will become the country with the biggest rich/poor divide in
the world! Yes the green eyed monster spreading rampant greed is indeed a busy
being! Shame on those Con – Dem noddys!

Sunday, 1 December 2013

Yes its true
yesterday saw the landing of only my second Pike of 2013 my first Pike of the
year being caught at 14.14hrs on New Year’s day! A pretty poor, nay diabolical
catch record! All however is not what it seems as my actual instances of Pike
fishing number eight in total for the year to date. During the Brown Trout
season I spent a little time fishing for them note I do not say catching them!
The rest of the year was taken up by abandoning fishing sessions to have to
deal with the large numbers of fools, charlatans, fish thieves and Muppets we
had the misfortune to encounter!

If my time
wasn’t taken up by the above it was carrying out work with the usual bunch of
workers motivated to move the club onwards. Our long spell without a loch
keeper meant this duty also fell into my lap. I must admit however some of
these tasks were not onerous and in fact turned out to be the most amicable of
duties. It has been one of the worst years I can remember with interrupted
fishing sessions becoming the norm. Now however that we have an incumbent loch
keeper and bailiff I am looking forward to getting in a good spell of fishing, specifically
hunting the wild Pike that reside in our lochs.

I don’t
expect it will be Pike after Pike as the loch is not a “plastic” Pike fishery
where the terminally challenged lob a bait anywhere into the water and voilla
before you know it you’ve hooked a flabby thirty pounder that comes to the net
like a wet blanket! Minimal satisfaction and not really something real anglers
would care to mention in public, in fact it’s rather embarrassing!

Yes the
going will be tough with many outings simply being put down to experience!
Sometimes a break makes the yearning stronger, the mind sharper and the fettle
brighter, it was a great feeling yesterday to be reacquainted with an old
adversary that was undoubtedly up for the fight! They are fighting hard due to
the excellent condition they are in with Mother Nature in charge it can be no
other way and if you are fortunate enough to catch one be prepared for a mighty
scrap! Iwonder if I will have to wait until New Years day for my next encounter!

Thanks for your company yesterday
Stevie, a most enjoyable day!

photo 02 - My personal drought ended!

The Bowerhope saga!

We have
received a response from the owner of the black Audi highlighted a few weeks
back suspected of fishing without a permit and leaving rubbish behind. The chap
who we will not name admits to fishing without a permit and leaving rubbish
lying instead of taking it away. These are very serious matters and yesterday
we spoke with the tenants on the Bowerhope estate and they are keen to see this
problem ended.

There is no
failure on our part in policing the lochs, we cannot survey the loch 24/7!
People will always slip through the net and it has just been unfortunate that
the last two incidents have taken place on the Bowerhope estate. We must stamp
this problem out and it is likely that we will deal with these instances in a
fair but severe manner! The chap mentioned has apologised profusely for his misdeed
which is good but this however does not change the fact that the offences were
committed! Had it not been for the right thinking actions of the shepherdess at
Bowerhope he may have gotten away with his actions unchallenged! The club
committee are currently considering the above issue and will reach a decision
soon.

The chap
mentioned above is Polish and the only reason for my mentioning this was that
in his e mail to us he states at the end “if
we want to ban foreigners we should make this clear on our main website”!
Just to make the situation crystal clear we have no issue whatsoever with
foreigners coming to fish our lochs and to suggest we do is completely wrong!
We currently have two Polish members and they are model members in every
respect!

We have a
further two right thinking respectful Polish anglers on our waiting list to
join the club next month! We have no issue at all with the nationality of our anglers;
it however remains a fact that
approximately 80% of all wrongdoings carried out on the lochs are perpetrated
by anglers from other countries! This may give a small hint as to why anglers with
this heritage are more rigorously surveyed! This situation is not of our making
rather the deviant anglers themselves. It will now fall on
anglers from those other countries to be seen to be squeaky clean as much remedial work needs to be
implemented by this group of anglers to put their house in order! We will be in
touch with the fellow once a decision has been reached.

Club membership!

Applications
would normally be accepted at this time however our membership secretary Lawson
Simpson will be unavailable for the next two weeks. By all means send your
application in but remember due to the above there will be a commensurate delay.
The new subscriptions are - first time
member £55.00 per yearly season and renewing members £35.00 per yearly season
of course in both cases members are now allowed free boats but engines will be
charged. To avoid confusion all intended usage of boats must be done via our
loch keeper.

Full blown migration!

Speaking
with one of the locals yesterday whom I run into quite frequently traversing
the Bowerhope road I was told of the large number of Salmon moving through the
regulator midweek. Yes we have seen many over the last few weeks leaping as
they head through the lochs seeking the place of their birth to lay the seeds
for a new generation. It’s a thrilling sight to see these creatures near the
end of their mammoth migration. Just another of the delights to be seen by real
anglers! Anglers are reminded that no lure fishing is permitted beyond the
white posts at Kirkstead and directly opposite, it is vital that these
creatures are not interfered with! Anyone found fishing in such a manner will
be instantly banned and reported to the relevant authorities!

The Wider World in my view!

The end of my tether!

Yes midweek
was the point that I thought to myself how much more of this Con-Dem bungling
can I put up with! It’s the same every week, more U turns, more reactionary
politics and evermore bungling! The posh boys that think they run the country
seem completely oblivious to their persistent bungles, yes they soldier on
plunging us into the ever deepening mire interspersed with retorts that they
are helping “hardworking families” when in reality the only people they are
helping are their posh boy pals!

Cigarette advertising
= U turn, fuel bills = U turn Universal credit = bungle already costing us
500million, bedroom tax = Bungle bringing in only 20% of what it was supposed
to and punishing those who can’t fight back! Royal Mail sell off 2 billion
pounds lost to the taxpayers is another spectacular bungle; there is now
massive pressure on Puppet Cable to hold an inquiry into what went wrong! Sending
“illegal immigrants” back home via private jet without having firstly cleared
the issue with the receiving country a prize bungle indeed!

The upcoming
fiasco on Europe will see Lord Snooty trying to appease the right wing of his
party of ninnies and at the same time pay heed to common sense, it is however
not possible it’s one way or the other! Puppet Clegg desperate to show his band
of puppets are moderating extreme Tory policy when in fact they are supporting
them! Each week brings another U turn or spectacular bungle session; it appears
there is no respite from their machinations! Simply a bunch of clueless posh
boys with no idea of what the term work means no understanding of what it means
to have to look after the pennies but why would they! Every damn one of them
has money coming out of their ears, running the country? No, just arrogant posh
boys at play, simply an extension of their Bullingdon Club days!

I sincerely
hope to be out of it next year, to be far from the madding crowd in an
independent Scotland! It won’t be easy and there is a huge amount of work to be
done before it happens if indeed it does. However looking at the current
Westminster set up I am 100% certain in my own mind that in no way could the
bungling that costs us billions be replicated in an independent Scotland not even if they tried!

A rather sinister court jester!

Of course I
am referring to bumbling buffoon Boris Johnston the joker in the Tory pack. The
seemingly harmless diddy much lauded by the party faithful and the affluent of London
town! Yes the mask slipped this week when his true colours came to the fore
exposing him as an ardent follower of Butcher Thatcher that most hated of
politicians! “Greed is good” he proudly proclaimed giving kudos to the posh
boys all over the country and pouring scorn on the oppressed working classes! These
clowns have nothing in common with right thinking people who look for a fairer society
rather than the Dickensian one we currently endure; no he seeks to widen the
divide to make the rich richer and the poor poorer! This silver spooned snob
simply seeks to perpetrate the status quo. Zealots like this fool must be ousted and it
is up to the people of London to do the right thing! A fool exposed as just another poor punishing utterly repugnant Tory
windbag!

Are you sure it’s a recovery?

Coming home
from work one day this week I noticed two shopkeepers slinking home in the
shadows before the allotted time of five o clock, no doubt fed up of waiting on
the entry bell on the door that signals a potential customer but one that was
never coming. Times are hard there can be no doubt about that, yet at the
supermarket end of the town the dim glow of the main street is overpowered by a
shower of bright light and hordes of furtive people rushing around everywhere stretching
their credit cards to bursting point.

Yes shopping
habits have changed and they will further change with people ordering goods off
the internet on their smart phones and seeing the goods arrive the next
morning! Things will never revert to what is often seen as the good old days. Times
will get harder for wee independent shops possibly with the exception of good
tackle dealers where advice on a product is more valuable than the product
itself. Yes minister without a clue Gideon Osborne talks of a recovery and some
signs are there but it is a recovery
based on consumer debt and as fragile as pyramid of cards! WHAT RECOVERY?

The Glasgow incident!

An absolute tragedy,
the people affected will remain in our thoughts R.I.P

Important information for members

For fishing information please phone 07980350031

If you would like to join the club or renew your membership please click the link below to download the form.https://sites.google.com/site/stmarysloch/club-membership-1The next event for members is membership renewal. You may renew from the 1st of January until the 31st of January 2017. failure to renew within this time frame will result in the £20.00 joining fee being implemented. Joining/Renewal form click the link

Club AGM will take place in February/March 2017 date and venue to be announced.